Door check



March 6, 1956 SPERRY 2,737,408

DOOR CHECK Filed April 9, 1952 6' INVENTOR.

WM,M$EW

AT TORNEYS r 2,737,408 lcfi Patented Mar. 6, 1956 noon CHECK Pierce Sperry, Harrison, Ohio, assignor, by direct and mesne assignments, to The Spede Corporation, a corporation of Ohio Application April 9, 1952, Serial No. 281,335

4 Claims. (Cl. 292-342) This invention relates to foot operated door checks of the type which are fastened to the door and include a wedge or similar element which is adapted to be inserted between the lower edge of the door and the floor to hold the door in open position.

The primary objective of the invention is to provide a door check of the type described which is exceedingly simple in construction and very economical to manufacture, but which is as effective and as eflicient as any of the more complex and expensive foot operated door checks heretofore available.

One of the essential features which distinguish the present door check is that it is made from a single piece of elastic or resilient material which is uniform in cross section throughout its length so that it may be formed initially as an extrusion and simply cut to appropriate lengths, each of which constitutes a finished article.

Other objectives of the invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the door check of this invention secured to a door..

Figures 2, 3 and 4 are diagrammatic views illustrating the manner in which the door check is set.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 5-5 in Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic elevational view illustrating a preferred method of manufacturing the door check.

Figure 7 is a perspective View of a cap which may be used for installing the door check.

In the preferred embodiment the door check is made from rubber or other elastic or resilient material which may be formed by an extrusion process. It will be seen from Figures 1, 5 and 6 of the drawings that the door check is of uniform cross sectional area throughout its length.

In general the door check comprises a flange 10 by which it may be fastened to a door, a shelf portion 11 and a wedge portion 12. The shelf portion 11 extends from flange 10 at an angle less than 90 degrees so that when the flange is in place against the door, the shelf slants upwardly away from the flange. The wedge portion 12 depends from the outer end of the shelf, curving downwardly and inwardly under the shelf, tapering from top to bottom. Adjacent its lower end the outer face of the Wedge is serrated to provide a number of ridges 13 which extend longitudinally of the check. In cross section, the ridges 13 shown resemble saw teeth, however, other configurations may be utilized if desired. If a soft type rubber is used for the door check these ridges may be omitted, since their main function is to provide friction between the outer surface of the wedge and the floor.

As shown in Figures 1 and 5, a thin metal metal plate 14 may be used to reinforce flange 10 when it is installed. The plate may have two or more holes in it in order to receive wood screws such as those shown iii at 15, the screws passing through the plate, the flange and into the door.

Appropriate holes for the screws may be formed in the flange at the time of manufacture if desired. However, since the flange is thin it can be readily pierced at the time of installation.

A groove 16 may be formed between the flange and shelf. This groove is provided to make it easier to bend shelf 11 downwardly, as will be explained below.

Figure 6 shows an extruded length of door check material prior to its being cut into appropriate lengths, as indicated by the dot dash lines 17. The fact that the door check can be formed by an extrusion process is one of its important features inasmuch as it decreases the cost of manufacture considerably.

The door check is fastened to the door as shown in Figure 5, by using wood screws, nails or similar fastenings at a point adjacent the lower edge thereof where the lower edge of the wedge clears the floor. If there is sufficient clearance between the bottom of the door and the floor the lower edge of the wedge portion may extend slightly underneath the door as shown. In this position the shelf portion 11 slants upwardly from the flange so that a person may step on it and thus bend it downwardly to swing the wedge portion under the door. The combination of stepping on the check and pulling the door toward the check insures that the wedge portion engages tightly. In order to disengage the wedge portion, the door may be moved slightly in the opposite direction to free it. Once free, the resiliency or elasticity of the material from which it is formed causes it to return to the elevated position shown in Figure 5.

It will be appreciated that the specific shapes of the cross sectional areas of the flange, shelf, and wedge portions of the door check may be modified from those shown in the drawings without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the wedge portion 12 may be made substantially thicker and the ridges 13 disposed along its entire outer face. This modification adapts the door check to installations in which there is a substantial space between the lower edge of the door and the floor. In addition, a metal cap, indicated generally at 19, may be used in place of the metal plate 14 for fastening the check to a door. The metal cap includes a marginal flange 20 extending along both sides and across, these flanges being designed to embrace the respective side and upper edge of the flange portion 10 of the check. A pair of tangs 21--21 may be provided atthe two sides of the cap, these tangs making it necessay to use only-one wood screw which passes through a hole 22 formed in the center of the cap. Upon installation the tangs 21 are simply driven into the door by a hammer and the screw then tightened.

Having described my invention I claim:

1. A step-on door check formed from a single piece of rubber-like material, said door check comprising a vertical flange portion which is adapted to be secured to a door adjacent to the lower edge thereof, a shelf portion extending outwardly from the lower edge of said flange portion, and a wedge portion which depends from the outer edge of said shelf portion, said wedge portion curving downwardly and back under said shelf portion, whereby said shelf portion may be flexed downwardly by a person stepping thereon to swing said wedge portion underneath the lower edge of the door upon which said check is mounted to engage the floor beneath the door and thereby frictionally hold said door against swinging movement.

2. A step-on door check formed from a single piece of rubber-like material, said check comprising a vertical flange portion, means to secure said vertical flange portion to a side of a door adjacent to the lower edge thereof, a shelf portion extending outwardly and slightly upwardly from the lower edge of said vertical flange portion, a wedge portion depending from the outer edge of said shelf portion, said wedge portion curving downwardly and back under said shelf portion to present its lower, thin, free edge to the underside of a door to which said flange portion is secured, whereby upon the downward flexing of said shelf portion said wedge portion is swung underneath said door into checking posi tion.

3. A step-on door check formed from a single piece of rubber-like material which is of uniform cross section throughout its length, said door check comprising a vertical flange portion adapted, to be secured to the side of a door adjacent to the lower edge thereof, a shelf portion extending outwardly from the lower edge of said flange portion, a Wedge portion depending from the outer edge of said shelf portion and curving downwardly and underneath said shelf portion to present the lower, thin, free edge thereof underneath the lower edge of the door to which said flange portion is secured, whereby upon the downward flexing of said shelf portion, said wedge portion is jammed into the space between the door and a floor beneath said door into door checking position.

4. A step-on door check formed from a single piece of rubber-like material which is of uniform cross section throughout its length, said door check comprising a vertical flange portion adapted to be secured to the side of a door adjacent to the lower edge thereof, a shelf portion extending outwardly and slightly upwardly from the lower edge of said flange portion, a wedge portion depending from the outer edge of said shelf portion and curving downwardly and underneath said shelf portion, the lower free edge of said wedge portion terminating slightly beyond the plane of the inner face of said flange portion, which face engages the side of the door when said flange portion is secured thereto, whereby when said door check is secured to a door as aforesaid the lower free edge of the wedge portion may engage underneath the lower edge of the door, so that upon the downward flexing of said shelf portion said wedge portion may move into the space between the door and a floor beneath said door in door checking position.

References Qited in the file of this patent UNiTED STATES PATENTS 654,562 Bowler July 24, 1900 1,915,795 MacMillan June 27, 1933 l,939,402 Moser Dec. 12, 1933 FOREiGi-l PATENTS 306,786 Great Britain Feb. 28, 1929 

